the-innovation-station

[the-innovation-station]

Dr. Paul Sanberg - Thursday, April 20, 2017

Connect:

     Dr. Paul Sanberg was one of the best speakers I have ever listened to. I personally found it very admirable to have a public speaker try to get to know us before presenting, and to at least get a feel for what our majors were and address us accordingly. I also appreciated the drive he has for his career, and that he pursued it because of meaningful reasons rather than selfish ones.     Passion has been a topic discussed by many of the presenters we have seen this semester, and I believe that makes it a crucial part of innovating. Dr. Sanberg was no different, and mentioned that money/fame should never be one’s drive for innovating, but instead passion for the innovation and how it will change society should be vastly more important. This connects well with the habit of mind responding with wonderment and awe from Costa & Kallick’s “Learning and Leading with Habits of Mind.” In this section, Costa & Kallick mention that the brightest minds search for intriguing phenomena that they are passionate about, and will thus drive them to work harder. This is exactly what Dr. Sanberg accomplished in the field of Parkinson’s & stroke research, as his family ties drove him to work devotedly. This is an excellent way to stay motivated, and turn a career into an enjoyable experience rather than a dissatisfying one.     Later into his presentation, Dr. Sangberg mentioned the necessity of a personal life and personal connections. He explained that throughout one’s career, there will come stressors that cannot be overcome without a helping hand from those around you. Much like the topic of grit, mentioned in “The Significance of Grit” by Deborah Perkins-Gough, this idea of burning out is a challenge that many people face in their career. Perkins-Gough mentions that resilience is a necessary quality to overcome these stressors, and maintain a career in the face of adversity. I see Dr. Sanberg’s advice as a brilliant solution to building resilience, as it provides a shoulder to hold onto in times of need. Without something to fall back upon, it is possible to fall so hard it’s impossible to get back up.

Apply:

    One of the most important lessons Dr. Sanberg mentioned during his lecture was the idea of taking time to worry about one’s personal life. I already mentioned this above, and tied it to the concept of burnout, but I felt like it impacted me personally. Recently, I have felt like I have no time to study, sleep properly, and still maintain all the personal relationships in my daily life. I don’t think this is actually because I don’t have enough time, but because I’m so burnt out that even the smallest assignments give me stress and make me procrastinate. I can’t say for sure until I try it, but this could be because I am so focused on school right now that I haven’t given myself a breather from all the stress. If I let myself have fun every once and a while, I would be able to sleep easier at night and maybe even retain the information that I’m currently failing to retain. My grades have been slipping because it feels like it takes me days to study the same material that I could once do in a night.     To accomplish this, I’m going to start taking time out of my day to go to the gym with friends like I used to. Doing this will help me build personal connections with people to hangout outside of class, and will also allow me to stay fit and relieve stress. If this starts to improve my work ethic and stress level, I will attempt to find the perfect balance between fun and school to optimize it. Hopefully this summer will also be the additional break that I need to become more productive again.

Questions:

1. If you could give one word to describe your career what would it be and why? 2. Is there anything in your career you look back upon with regret? Like major decisions or partnerships that you could have had? 3. Do you think your motivation to get your pilot’s license reflects on your motivation in your career? How do you stay motivated without giving up?

[the-innovation-station]

Victor Poirier - Thursday, April 13, 2017

Connect:     Victor Poirier’s presentation was personally very interesting to me. His work on the artificial heart has helped thousands of people who would have had no chance for survival otherwise, and I find that to be incredibly impressive. His brilliance surrounding the solutions that made it possible were also very fascinating, and he utilized many of the topics discussed in this class to do so. Victor Poirier showed resilience and grit throughout his career and was never afraid of failure. Additionally, he pioneered these devices using multiple habits of mind that ultimately led to his success. 

    To begin with, Dr. Poirier was never afraid to fail. His innovation did not come to fruition easily, but he was optimistic that his attempts would eventually lead to a successful product – and they did. He embodied the knowledge of two pieces of course material in this instance: “Dare to be Crap” by Greg Satell and “Significance of Grit” by Deborah Perkins-Gough. Both of these articles share the idea of persistence and dedication, but accomplish this in different ways. Greg Satell’s “Dare to be Crap” approaches this idea by explaining how failure is not only okay, but is a natural and necessary part of innovation. The best products don’t are the best to begin with; it takes years of beta testing and unsuccessful products to even begin approaching perfection. Dr. Poirier’s artificial heart was no exception, as he frequently went through different designs and even nuclear power before arriving at success. The “Significance of Grit” highlights that it’s important to remain passionate and resilient when you have those failures that set you back. Dr. Poirier’s experience with the government decisions on nuclear power reflect this idea immensely. He didn’t give up after their decision, he just worked around it even though it would be more difficult.

    Through his cleverness, Dr. Poirier was able to overcome challenges that many thought to be unsolvable, and in doing so he embodied multiple habits of mind, found in “Learning and Leading with Habits of Mind” by Costa & Kallick, discussed earlier this year. One challenge he faced in particular, that of blood clotting caused by the artificial heart, was truly a difficult one. However, through the use of questioning and thinking flexibly, he was was able to solve this problem quite elegantly. He questioned why others were trying to prevent blood clotting when it was a normally occurring function within the human body. He reasoned that it wasn’t that the clots shouldn’t be there, it was that they needed a better surface to attach to. Through his flexible thinking, he started to develop a device that used the opposite of what others had been producing – a rough surface. Although others initially thought this was insane, it worked. He was able to produce a pseudo living surface that was even better than a perfectly smooth surface could have been. Clearly Dr. Poirier has mastered many of the habits of mind discussed in this class to further his career and innovations.  

Apply:     Though all of Dr. Poirier’s presentation was very compelling, I found the comic of the frog and bird he showed us to particularly powerful. He told us that he had been the frog many times in his life, fighting and persisting to survive. This year I have felt very worn down and on the brink of burn out, and I can see myself drifting to a point where I am the frog in that comic. His words simple, “Don’t ever give up,” but they seemed to be more powerful when coming from someone who has experienced this same feeling multiple times in their life. So I think if I really took away anything, it’s that I need to just push through this so I can get where I want to be. Not to say if Dr. Poirier can do it, than so can I, but we’re all just human so I don’t see why not. To accomplish this, I plan on looking at the prize at the end of the tunnel, a solid career in medicine, and just focusing on that. Its hard for me to be goal oriented, but as I see myself getting closer and closer it does feel obtainable. Another way I plan on accomplishing this, which may seem counter intuitive, is to take a year off from school after undergrad. I need time to catch myself and prevent burn out. Not to say that I wont be working and bettering myself as a person, but I do believe my mind needs a break from school.

Questions: 1. When you were developing the nuclear powered heart, did you have doubts it was the right path to be taking? Do you think you would have continued to pursue that had you been able to? 2. What networking a necessary part of your career? Did it ever hurt you to be associated with particular hospitals? 3. You mentioned having highs and lows when a mechanical heart did/didn’t work in a patient. Did that part of your career desensitize you in anyway? Did it make you stronger?

[the-innovation-station]

David Eddy – Thursday, April 6, 2017

Connect:

To begin with, I would like to say that Dr. Eddy’s presentation was one of the most enlightening and interesting of this semester. His personality easily shined through his content, and I really appreciate that after having listened to so many presenters this year.  With that said, in this blog I would like to focus more on Dr. Eddy’s perspectives/state of mind on failure, rather than his career. Not to say that his career was not important, but his mental path to get where he wanted was a far more valuable lesson (and frankly more relevant to this class). The topic of failure was fundamental throughout this presentation, making it a perfect parallel with the content of the week, specifically Dare To Be Crap by Greg Satell and The Significance of Grit by Perkins-Gough.  

In my personal opinion, one of Dr. Eddy’s strongest attributes that lead to his success was his acceptance of failure. He knew going into medical school that he had some form of attention deficit disorder, but that didn’t stop him from at least trying and learning from the hurdles he would inevitably hit. This frame of mind is an excellent example of the argument made in Dare To Be Crap by Greg Satell. In this article, Satell argues that one shouldn’t shy away from a challenge or not pursue something because there is a chance of failure. He makes an excellent point about the idea of Beta Testing, the process of releasing unfinished work to be judged and critiqued, that ties perfectly in with Dr. Eddy’s own experiences in life. When Dr. Eddy pushed himself into medical school, it was an excellent “beta test” for his career. Just because he realized it was not for him, does not make it a bad life choice – it makes it a learning experience that he can use to adjust himself. Thus, much like a new application put out by a company, Dr. Eddy gained crucial input from the experience of his beta test that led to him changing careers and ultimately becoming successful. 

Though Dr. Eddy was kind of adamant that he didn’t possess the trait of grit, I believe he did, and probably just can’t see through his self-perspective. A key aspect of grit, as defined in The Significance of Grit by Perkins-Gough, is the resilience to give up in the face of failure and adversity. If that sentence doesn’t scream Dr. Eddy, then I don’t know if I was listening to the same presentation as everyone else. Dr. Eddy failed at so many things throughout his life, but he remained persistent in finding the right fit for himself. So many others would have settled for being unhappy, as long as they were financially stable (which he was), but he kept pursuing his dreams until they were met. He was even given the opportunity to remain at Duke in a relatively cushy job where he didn’t even have to teach, but he knew that wasn’t his place. He went through 45 years of life before he finally reached where he needed, and I sometimes feel like giving up at less than half that age – clearly that’s some strong resilience he must have.  

Apply:

Dr. Eddy summed his presentation up quite well when he said, “If you’re unhappy, change your path.” I really took this statement to heart, and plan on implementing it in my own life. Currently, the journey has been hard and hasn’t paid off, but I don’t know if that is a reflection of how difficult my career in the medical field will be, or just the current undergraduate work. It’s difficult to push through these years that don’t seem to align with my future profession to even get to med-school to know if it’s “my passion.” I guess I just have to push through it. However, if I get to med school and don’t like it, I definitely think I will change my path. If I change it early enough, I won’t be upset with myself because the path to a surgical profession will be far longer than a change to something else (most likely). 

I think that’s easier said than done, but I want to allude back to Dr. Eddy’s decisions throughout his career. He made decisions to change his path so many times, and his “beta testing” oh his own life really paid off when he became successful. That makes me a little more optimistic of my own chances, especially if I can get there quick enough.

Questions:

1. Were you ever scared making so many drastic changes in your career path? If so, how did you overcome this fear?

2. You made a lot of illusions to how easy it is to come up with an idea/product that is marketable during your presentation. Do you think that a college education is worth having these days if that is actually true?

3. Do you think you would have ended up where you are now if you had a more ‘average’ up bringing? If not, do you think there any benefits to growing up with average means such as public school and middle class income?

4. Was there ever a moment that failure crushed your hope for the future? If so, how did you move past that feeling to end up where you did?

[the-innovation-station]

Bill Cavanaugh - Thursday, March 30th, 2017

Connect:

           Bill Cavanaugh was an excellent presenter from the second he got up to shake everyone’s hands to the last words out of his mouth. His life was like a thrilling roller coaster full of adventures and career opportunities that few could only dream about, and yet he still came across very humble and wise. Though I did not see him as an innovator in the sense of having any real inventions in the nuclear industry, I did see Mr. Cavanaugh as an excellent innovative leader and will be focusing on that concept a lot in this section – heavily connecting with “The 5 Skills That Innovative Leaders Have in Common” by Katherine Graham-Leviss. Additionally, there are connections to be drawn between his comments on the attitudes of the two teams he sent to observe European nuclear plants, and “Mindeset” by Carol Dweck.

           Though Mr. Cavanaugh was clearly no stranger to following orders, as his anecdotes about his years in the Navy would confirm, he’s also good at making them. The best example of his leadership could be seen in the Carolina Power and Light Nuclear Plant, that had 4 under-performing nuclear reactors. Just like Leviss mentions in her list of skills, Mr. Cavanaugh demonstrated the idea of risk management in this situation. He made bold decisions to let his employees come up with innovative solutions to the problems that were setting them back, such as excess employees and different methods of running the station, while keeping careful look out for possible risks with these changes. This could be seen as a gamble, but Mr. Cavanaugh knew what he was doing, and initiated reasonable changes if the initial changes did not meet up to his expectations – all while never putting the power-plant at risk for any serious malfunctions.  

           Mr. Cavanaugh was also an excellent demonstrator of curiosity – another skill mentioned in Leviss’s article. Mr. Cavanaugh traveled the world researching and understanding nuclear reactors in dozens of countries.  He didn’t just want his plant to be best in the country, but actually had aspirations of it being the best in the world. To me this is a perfectly logical concept, but I still commend Mr. Cavanaugh on this as it must have been incredibly difficult to manage his personal life, business, and curiosity at the same time. The article mentions under this skill that curiosity would stimulate new thinking by examining mistakes in the past, and making them into opportunities for learning. Mr. Cavanaugh’s changes in his plants reflects that thinking, as he frequently took in changes from all parts of the globe while also sharing his thoughts with the managers of other plants.

           Additionally, the concept of seizing opportunities, a third skill from the article, is a perfect way to describe Mr. Cavanaugh’s career as a whole. He was no stranger to accepting opportunities as they approached him, such as becoming a chairman of WANO or even accepting his position under Admiral Rickover, which all eventually accumulated into making him the man that he is today and the man he was in his career. As an example, his seat in WANO allowed him to observe plants all across the nation and world, contributing to his success in his own nuclear facilities. He was also not afraid to give out opportunities, as he frequently pushed innovators working under him up the corporate ladder. Clearly, Mr. Cavanaugh was not shy when it came to the unknown.

           Lastly, Mr. Cavanaugh’s anecdote about sending his employees to Europe was an extremely relevant piece of information to our current discussions of motivation and the concept of mindsets. In his anecdote, he explained that workers who left for Europe in one team, that were very optimistic, were able to reduce the fueling times at their assigned reactor considerably, while the other group, that was very negative and stuck up about knowing everything, did not make any progress. This connects perfectly with Dweck’s writing on the growth mindset and how that causes the possibility of stretching beyond the possible. While the motivated group saw the reactor as a challenge that they could solve, the negative group saw it as an impossible challenge that didn’t need to be fixed. They were both groups of extremely talented people, as Mr. Cavanaugh mentioned, and thus the only difference was really their attitude.  

Apply:

           A key concept that Mr. Cavanaugh mentioned, that I hope to one day apply to myself, is that you can’t micromanage people because it only leads to limited growth. While I was already aware of this concept, it was interesting to hear how Mr. Cavanaugh was able to trust his employees even in one of the most intensive careers (nuclear power). I believe that there needs to be a certain level of trust between a manager and his/her employees, but I also believe that trust needs to be built over time and big decisions can’t just be handed out to anyone. If I was ever in the position where I was managing a group of people in the future, I would let make sure to give my employees opportunities to gain my trust in a way that is manageable. Additionally, I would always be open to suggestions and, just like Mr. Cavanaugh said, never have consqeuences for innovation.

           I definitely have experienced managing a team before in multiple settings, but the one that sticks out to me for this concept is Honors Council. Last year I gave my committee multiple chances to prove themselves, and as they did I gave them more and more opportunities that I considered to be hands-off on my part. Eventually, the committee was running events almost entirely on their own, and by the end of the semester it was clear who would be running it in the coming year.

Questions:

1.     Do you think you made the right decisions in your career when you accepted position after position? Is it more beneficial to hold out for something you’re really excited about or to make small steps to get there instead?

2.     Would you have pursued a similar career path if you had not joined the Navy? Do you ever regret the path you chose?

3.     A lot of other presenters in the past have mentioned how their career was either limited by their marriage or that their career had a negative effect on their marriage. Do you think there is a balance to having a healthy home life and a good career, or is there always a loss in some way?

[the-innovation-station]

Lyle Schwartz – Thursday, March 23, 2017

Connect:

           Dr. Lyle H. Schwartz was one of my favorite presenters throughout this course. He was an excellent public speaker, and he felt very sincere from the second he took the floor. There were so many take away points relevant to our class, but for the sake of this post I will only dive into a couple. Dr. Schwartz spoke extensively on how, in his experience, advancements in one field provide opportunities for innovation in others – a concept reflected in the first lesson of “Where Good Ideas Come From” by Seven Johnson. Additionally, he created social environments for his workers to facilitate sharing, which connects perfectly with the habit of mind ‘Applying Past Knowledge to New Situations’ in “Learning and Leading with Habits of Mind” by L. Costa and Bena Kallick.

           It’s no surprise that advancements need to be made in order to drive new innovations, but Dr. Schwartz’s work in material research takes that concept to its roots. He described his work as researching the stuff that makes up everything, so technically his research provided the footing for countless innovations in everything from the Air Force to private businesses. His entire career essentially provided, and still is providing, the ability for manufactures to use materials that are on the cutting edge of science. Additionally, his work at the National Bureau of Standards was instrumental in innovations such as GPS, because they could more accurately measure time for more precise locations. Thus, all of these somewhat small advancements he was making in his career were able to shape the world in countless fields. As mentioned in “Where Good Ideas Come From,” without those innovations that build up to make breakthroughs some innovations just wouldn’t be possible (such as GPS in this case). Even if the concept is there, it means nothing if there isn’t the resources to accomplish it effectively.

           While studying at Northwestern University, Dr. Schwartz discovered that a common ground for research is an excellent way to further research and develop networks. He spoke about this subject very passionately, and his actions later in his career really solidified how important he actually felt about this type of work environment. It seems that at every management position he was ever in, whether in his position as Director of Materials Research at Northwestern or his position at the National Bureau of Standards, Dr. Schwartz created spaces just like he found in his graduate years for his colleagues/employees. He expressed that it simply changed the atmosphere of these work places, transforming them into a more dynamic environment. This makes Dr. Schwartz an excellent example of an innovator who exemplifies the habit of mind of applying previous knowledge to new situations. He saw how drastically his school changed when there wasn’t competition between professors, but instead an environment that forced them to work together.

           If there is anything I didn’t see eye to eye with Dr. Schwartz, it’s that I think competition is equally as important as working together. Without competition, even within a single corporation/university, I believe there would be less unique ideas and less advancement. If everyone is constantly working together, ideas that might have developed through a need to compete will get lost. There definitely is the argument that other companies will still be there to compete with, but it doesn’t hurt to have a broad range of ideas in one company.

Apply:

           Towards the end of his presentation, Dr. Schwartz asked us to imagine what could be accomplished in an organization if it was funded correctly. I don’t know why, but when he said this I remembered my time back in the STEM program at my school. Before we had received funding from Motorola Solutions it was clear how talented we all were as a collective group, but without any capital we were essentially useless. That first year was dramatically different from the following years, and I felt how important funding was. We went from bottom tier finishes, to top 3 consistently, and I knew that the teams ahead of us were just funded even better. So I’ve already seen how much funding can do for an organization, but this was a good reminder. I was not the one who sought out the money from Motorola, my teacher at the time did for us, but I think at this point in my life I would have the confidence to seek out sponsors and help (especially if I knew the capabilities of my team would match the funding).

           If I was ever in this position again, I would put together a proposal and present it to as many different potential sponsors as possible. The worst they can say is no, and in my experience in other clubs besides STEM, there are always companies willing to sponsor for a little product indorsement. Thus, I would offer that company space on our shirts, products, and anything else we happen to have. It doesn’t bother me to give advertisement to a company that has faith in my team, and once again in my experience, I’ve actually gained respect for a lot of companies because of how they treated us. Motorola Solutions, for example, liked our team so much that they were willing to open up a shadowing opportunity to the team after the season had finished. I got to spend 2 weeks with developers at Motorola working on a new personal radio, and It really was an invaluable experience.

          Additionally, he mentioned that if there were people under his leadership who were fighting over a project, he would give them something to work towards together. I saw this as kind of like the whole “common enemy” scenario, but with a positive spin. I really took a lot away from that comment, and I’m sure it’l be useful at some point in my life. Currently I’m not in very many leadership positions (as I am focused more on shadowing/research/volunteering), but I know one day I will be again. When that day comes, I will try my best to find someone that both of the frustrated people have in common, and try to bring them together instead of splitting them apart. For example, if I were the head of a medical team, I would try to give my team members opportunities that were too large to handle alone. 

Questions:

1.     Do you think that a small amount competition can be useful within a business? Why or why not?

2.     When do you think the best time to retire is? Do you feel like you retired at the right age?

3.     Were there any mistakes that you made throughout your career that you look back at with regret? Is it possible to make up for those mistakes?

[the-innovation-station]

Selim Chacour – Thursday, March 9, 2017

Connect:

           Though it was hard at first to connect Selim Chacour’s lecture to class, as a majority of it was focused on the mechanics of turbines, there were actually some take away points. I don’t really see Chacour’s improved turbine designs as innovations, but I do find his leadership very impressive. He talked extensively on the importance of treating your staff right and the value of being able to work well with new people, who each bring different skills to the table. Additionally, Chacour talked about consistency, and the value a customer finds in being confident that they will receive the product they’ve been told they will receive.            Towards the end of Chacour’s presentation, he briefly mentioned the way he treated his employees and how he made sure that the work place felt like a family. Although I don’t know if this is the absolute best way to run a company, I can see why this would be appealing. It’s clear that one of the habits of mind, listening with understanding and empathy, would thrive in this type of setting. When workers are connected to each other in a way that feels like more than just a job, they would feel less discouraged to come to each other with any problem that makes them feel less confident about their work. The double edged sword for this scenario is that workers might feel like they can rely on others to do work for them, or think it’s okay to not give 100% because their manager is also their friend. I think a healthy mix between being a tough boss and an open boss would definitely be a good compromise.

           On the topic of being able to work well with new people, I am reminded of the article 5th skill in “The 5 Skills That Innovative Leaders Have in Common” by Katherine Graham-Levis. In this section entitled “Maintaining a Strategic Business Plan,” Graham-Levis talks about people with different impacting styles that drive innovation to success. Chacour demonstrated this same principle during his career when he started out as a designer. Although it turns out that Chacour possessed both of these traits, and ultimately could do the planning himself, he was not excellent at sales or marketing. Chacour had to rely on other members of the staff to make sure that his design could find its path to success and actually bring in a profit.

           Additionally, Mr. Chacour’s work might be classified as a disruptive innovation. His low cost of production and standardization of the hydroelectric turbine was a game changer to the market. New designs were not really necessary with such a low loss of energy and ease of manufacturing that could be scaled to deliver more power at bigger plants. A disruptive innovation, as mentioned in “What is Disruptive Innovation” by Christensen, perfectly aligns with the growth of Chacour’s company into a field that was already well established. His company successfully improved on a design and easily pushed through the field to gain part of the market. 

           Finally, the concept of consistency was briefly addressed, and I feel like it was one of the most important things to take away from this lecture. This concept ties very well with another habit of mind, striving for accuracy, and although basic it is still very important. If customers don’t get the product they were promised, it looks bad for business – especially repeat business. Something Chacour mentioned about the turbine industry was that they routinely need to be either updated, fixed, or replaced entirely. His company even acquired jobs from power-plants that were originally maintained by other companies because those companies couldn’t provide a consistent product. Chacour’s turbines, when compared to other companies of that period, were much more dependable and thus costumers gravitated towards a well established product. 

Apply:

           I only took a handful of things from this presentation, but the most important was the concept of developing your own technologies so you don’t have to rely on others or lose profit to royalties. Even if I don’t see inventing anything as an immediate possibility in my future, I can see it happening eventually. I wouldn’t want to just take someone else’s idea and advance it for them - It would feel very unfulfilling for me, and just be a bad idea for my personal gain financially. If I’m ever looking for an important method/invention to fit the needs of my future company, I wont just immediately search for one that’s already invented. I’ll brain storm solutions to my own problems, and only as a last resort will I look for it else ware. If I come up with a solution, I could always look to see if that idea hasn’t already been implemented and then go through the steps of making it come to reality. Through this method, I would be able to avoid just looking to others because it is more convenient, and actually use my head instead.  

Questions:

1.  Is it always optimal to use the same design on a turbine no matter the size? Does this make production harder or easier?

2.  Have you ever run into problems treating your employees like a big family?

3.  What is the lowest profit margin you can provide to your customers that is still worth providing them with your service? Do you incorporate repeat business into this?

[the-innovation-station]

Donald Keck - Thursday, March 2nd, 2017

Connect:

   The accomplishments of Donald Keck are an outstanding example of what it means to be an Innovator. His work in low-loss optical fiber is truly inspiring, and was by far (in my opinion), the most incredible achievement from any presenter so far. His presentation was not only very intriguing and enlightening, but can also be connected to several different topics we have discussed in class.

   Donald Keck started his presentation with his proposition to living a happy and successful life. He stated that first you need to get good at something, then you need to have a dream, and finally you need to share that dream with someone. Although that last part about sharing the dream with someone probably has more to do with marriage or personal relationships, the first two points can both be connected to different habits of mind found in “Learning and Leading with Habits of Mind.” The idea of getting good at something connects well with persistence, and Keck demonstrated this by getting a PH.D. in physics from Michigan State. He didn’t just stop with a B.S. or M.S., but pursued his learning as far as he possibly could. His dream could be seen when he strived for years with his team to come up with a solution to the problems that were once associated with coaxial cable. The habit of mind thinking flexibly was used during these years, as the group worked outside of the box to come up with solutions that seemed radical and even counter intuitive at times.

   During his presentation, Donald Keck also mentioned how his colleague used his historical knowledge to envision a use for SiCO2 as the main material in their fiber optic cable. He insisted that sometimes inventions come before their time, and it’s important to have an historical background to see their potential. This connects very well with “Where Good Ideas Come From” by Steven Johnson. In this book, Steven Johnson mentions ideas such as eBay or Netflix that simply would not have worked if they had been discovered earlier. This is because these innovations had to arrive alongside others that would make them possible – such as high speed internet or content. Similarly, SiCO2 was a discovery before it’s time, as there was simply no use for it in 1824.

   Last, but not least, Donald Keck spoke extensively on how an innovation always has room for improvement, and how even if there is a “Eureka” moment, things won’t simply fall into place. This concept tied extremely well with lesson 2 of “Where Good Ideas Come From” by Steven Johnson, when he explains that world changing ideas do not appear over night. Like Johnson, Keck described a painstaking process to get fiber optics to work as efficiently as possible, and to fit within the parameters that their customers desired. Every time I thought his story was over, he mentioned another hurdle that his team had to climb to achieve a finished product. And even after he got out of the fiber optics industry, there were still improvements being made to the technology every year.

Apply:

   A lot of what Donald Keck mentioned was very interesting to me personally, because my current job has me installing and running fiber optic cables. Though it is only a summer job, It has been a rewarding experience to gain some insight into the wiring of buildings. My job usually has me installing these cables in schools, hotels, and private estates for high speed connections between different parts of the building. For example, my company worked extensively on a private school near Miami that streams their football games in 4k to monitors around the school. 

    Though his talk related to my line of work, there was something else that resonated with me even stronger. When he explained how his team had to use even the most outlandish tools, such as a vacuum, to produce their prototypes, I was instantly brought back to my high school years in the robotics team. We weren’t a well-funded team, and I found myself constantly using parts off of HotWheels cars or even Legos to develop a proof of concept. His presentation made me realize that I’ve been thinking too inside the box lately, and I need to go back to my roots and start to think creatively again.

   One way I could accomplish this Is by spending more time brainstorming when I’m faced with a problem. Currently, I tend to go with the first solution I come up with because I just cant be bothered spending too much time on work anymore, but I know there are always better solutions. If I just double the time I currently use to come up with a solution, I bet I could come up with some pretty interesting ideas.

Questions:

1.     Do you think teamwork can sometimes hinder innovation by disconnecting parts of an idea between multiple people?

2.     Do you think it’s better to involve yourself with a large organization that has the means to develop an innovation (but receive a smaller pay out), than it is to try and build something by yourself?

3.     Do you think it’s harder to come up with innovative ideas in this booming technological age where it seems just about everything has already been done?

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Richard Gitlin  – Thursday, February 23, 2017

Connect:

   Richard Gitlin’s talk was slightly different than most of the presenters in the past, as he focused more on his personal experiences and accomplishments rather than the theory behind them. His talk connected perfectly with the video we were assigned to watch this coming week, “Our approach to innovation is dead wrong” by Diana Kander. Although these talks were on slightly different subjects, Richard Gitlin and Diana Kander made it very clear that things don’t always go according to any plan, and that some of the best ideas and relationships come from just putting your ideas out there and seeing what works. They both also talked about how if you plan everything out, there is no room to be imaginative and try risky things that could pay off.

   When Richard Gitlin became part of Bell Labs, a scientific development company, he looked around and saw such raw talent. He explained that he thought to himself that he couldn’t possibly compare to many of the people there, but he still put himself out there and used many of the Habits of Mind and innovator should have. For example, he listened with understanding and empathy to all of his coworkers to see how they were rising within the company. He found that it was the innovators who changed the way work was done that made the big leaps. He also persisted with his ideas, and didn’t let the mismanagement above him keep him from working on his passions. For example, when working on DSL one of his superiors tried to get him fired for not focusing on the work he was assigned.

   Mismanagement was a really important topic Richard Gitlin brought up, and it also connects very well with Diana Kander’s Ted Talk. For example, Mrs. Kander talked about her karate skills, and how she was learning in a box for a challenge that was far outside of it. If she didn’t look at all the possibilities, her skills would be useless in most ordinary settings. Richard Gitlin thought this way too, when he was told to go back to his assigned work, he knew that his idea was much more valuable to the company then what they thought. He used Steve Job’s quote, “ignore what people think they need and giving them what they want before they want it,” to address this concept. And he was right, his boss above him saw the potential and actually fired his manager for his mismanagement.

    Trying to view this from the manager’s perspective, there are some upsides to sticking to a plan. Everyone in a company would be on the same page if a plan was enforced. This would provide workers with ease of mind that everyone is doing what they’re supposed to be doing to secure the company and their jobs. Additionally, if the plan was originally set up in a way that also provided some freedom in development and creative thinking, this wouldn’t be a problem. In that way, I think a major part of “mismanagement” has little to do with the manager themselves and more with the companies strategies as a whole. 

   Another interesting point Mr. Gitlin made was that of attending to the root cause of problems rather than overlooking them and trying to mask them. He spoke briefly about his start up company, and how it ultimately failed because they skipped over fundamental problems that made the software fail. This way of thinking goes against one of the key Habits of Mind – striving for accuracy. If they had fixed this key issue instead of glossing it over, their company would have likely survived. Its like the old saying, a chain is only as strong as its weakest link. 

  Apply:

   There were a lot of points that Richard Gitlin brought up in his presentation that I can see myself using in my own life. The most important to me was the concept of mismanagement. If I’m ever in the position of being a manager, I would definitely feel the urge to go by my plan. But sometimes it’s clear that the manager isn’t the smartest or most experienced member of a group, and that any member of a team could potentially bring ideas to the table that seem dangerous but are actually amazing. If I were ever faced with this predicament, I would try to look at this innovation or idea from the perspective of the worker, and try to see the merit within it. Obviously not every idea or deviation from the plan is the right direction for a company, but its definitely worth looking into them instead of just shrugging them off.

   Another important thing I took from Mr. Gitlin is to never burn any bridges. I’ve heard this a lot in my life, but it’s important to hear it from someone who is so successful. The idea is clearly that you never know what could happen, and if you kick people out of your life you lose any potential benefit from having them as a friend or coworker. Additionally, it could come back to haunt you if they put a bad word about you out. If I were ever in a predicament where I had to leave a company, even if I didn’t like my employer or coworkers I would never say a bad word to them.

Questions:

1. Have you ever burned a bridge that ever came back to haunt you? If so how?

2. Would you ever try to restart your startup company? What would you do differently?

3. Do you think you have everything in your “tool belt” to be an effective leader?

[the-innovation-station]

Shyam Mohapatra – Thursday, February 16, 2017

Connect:

  Dr. Mohapatra’s talk on patents and intellectual property was very interesting, and both connected and contrasted with this week’s reading assignment “Where Good Idea’s Come From (Steve Johnson, 2013). Though his life and career revolves around biochemistry and nanotechnology, Dr. Mohapatra was very well versed in the idea of patents, as he holds many himself. He mentioned countless times the importance of intellectual property, including trade secrets, to be one of the most valuable assets of a company or person.

  His information on intellectual property connected well with the reading’s first and second “lessons” about timing your innovations to fit with adjacent possibilities, and how these innovations evolve over time. The purpose of a trade secret, such as blueprints for future products or business plans, and patents, are to hold onto information/innovations and release them at the right time to make the most amount of profit. This connects to the information on Youtube in the readings, that was brought up as an example of a product that wouldn’t have worked if it didn’t have the surrounding infrastructure and fast computers to back it up. The same could be said for a company like Mercedes that held onto the idea for automated, rotating, front lights until the technology, software, and need from the customer was there to back it up. If Mercedes had let this information out earlier, customers would not have been willing to spend the money on a product that didn’t work correctly or wasn’t necessary yet. This idea would have been useless if it was patented in the past, and eventually other companies would have been able to steal it when it was finally viable. Additionally, Dr. Mohapatra’s comments about business models being a part of a trade secret connects to the idea of innovations evolving, as there are many companies holding on to their plans to beat out competitors and grow their companies slowly and methodically.

  His discussion on trade secrets, however, contrasted the reading’s 4th “lesson” about innovations thriving and evolving in large networks. Dr. Mohapatra was very adamant that trade secrets were to be kept closely in a company because they are valuable assets, but in a way this seems like it could potential hurt an innovation. The readings discussed how ideas flourish when many people work together and advance them, and a trade secret is the exact opposite of this scenario. If trade secrets are kept within a company, there is very little room for advancement and development from outside minds.

  Not only did Dr. Mohapatra’s lecture coincide with the reading this week, it also tied into Yogi Goswami’s presentation a few weeks ago. In Mr. Goswami’s presentation, he mentioned how he was taken advantage of because he did not properly have control over his invention/process. This could have been entirely avoided if Mr. Goswami had properly licensed it to himself and not given up his intellectual property to the new owners.

   There are many pros and cons to keeping trade secrets, but I’ll only go into a few. The biggest pro I could see for keeping secrets from your competitors is clearly the profit. Unless another company independently developed the same innovation, the company holding this secret would clearly have a card up their sleeve. Additionally, if the trade secret is a business model, the company holding this secret would also be able to out compete their competitors. The biggest drawback to have a trade secret would be preventing an innovation from flourishing and developing further. If no one knows about the secret but those who initially developed it, than there are no other brains to think outside the box and make it even better. 

Apply:

  There is a lot to take away from Dr. Mohapatra’s lecture, but something I found interesting beyond the patent/intellectual property talk was the idea of nanotechnology and its growing use in the world. During his lecture, he talked about how nanotechnology was still in its infancy, and that it would soon be a prevalent part of our society. Though I’ve been taking classes here at college that delve into biology more than engineering, I’ve always thought back to when I was in highschool and wanted more than anything to be an engineer. Though I changed my decision last second, there is still a large part of me that is very interested in engineering and would like to pursue a career that is at least based a little bit in that. Nanotechnology is right in the middle of these two careers (engineering and medicine) and I definitely want to learn more. To accomplish this I plan on researching careers in nanotechnology such as pharmaceutical researchers, to see if I could eventually see myself in that career one day.

   One possible career in nanotechnology I could see my self entering is nanotechnology in biosystems. The idea of making small particles that could be useful in immune response or other applications is really exciting because it could make a difference in so many diseases. Our way of life could be fundamentally changed by innovations of these types, and I’d like to be part of the difference. 

Questions:

1. Which one of your patents do you take the most pride in and why?

2. Would you consider knowledge on customers for you company as intellectual property or trade secrets?

3. Why did you decide to get into the career of nanotechnology, and what would you say is the most rewarding part of this growing career path?

[the-innovation-station]

Michael Fountain - Thursday, February 9th, 2017

Connect: 

  Michael Fountain’s presentation this week was an eye opening experience, with a lot of information to digest. His presentation connected perfectly with one of the readings for the week: Examining leaders of creative efforts (Byrne, 2009). Throughout Mr. Fountain’s presentation, he demonstrated and conveyed how important is to have expertise in your field (in this case innovation & entrepreneurship) and how you have to build structure to find success. He talked heavily on this subject through his acronym ICE TEE, which is a program designed to teach innovation, creativity & entrepreneurship.

  The article mentioned expertise under “what leaders do,” and explained that without substantial knowledge of the field, a leader will have no power in which to influence others (Byrne, 2009). In a lot of ways, Mr. Fountain demonstrated this same principle to us as a class. He was so well versed in his methods to success, that I found myself jotting down every single tip he provided in the hopes of improving myself. His knowledge of his field of entrepreneurship gave him a very authentic and impassioned manner of speaking that easily grounded the importance of his lesson.

Furthermore, his presentation aligned with the article on how expertise can affect motivating others in at representing the group, communicating clearly, assessing the needs of his followers, and encouraging less experienced members (Bryne, 2009). He accomplishes all these things with not  just his passion for the subject, but the actual evidence he showed to back everything up. For example, he mentioned projects that students he mentored participated in and made multimillion dollar companies. Clearly, his method of entrepreneurship has substantial qualities.

  The other thing that Mr. Fountains presentation tied with perfectly was the need to structure your approach to success. His ICE TEE program is a perfect example of setting a groundwork to build upon and make choices that follow the principles of risk and reward. Though it’s only a program to help get entrepreneurial skills started, those skills will definitely be useful throughout an entire career. For example, Mr. Fountain mentioned that a key concept in innovation is to adapt and try again – that giving up will not bring a solution but just put you further back. This simple skill would be incredibly useful in the world of an entrepreneur.

Apply:

  Though there were many great things to take away from Mr. Fountains presentation, I think the most valuable thing for me was information on scholarships. Although the scholarships he mentioned are not entirely up my alley, his presentation reminded me that its not to late to keep applying for them. Although I’ve had bad experience with scholarships in the past, and the only scholarships I really have are ones that either fell into my lap or were provided by the state, his presentation gave me a different perspective. He emphasized that there are just so many different people who want to help kids who really need it, and make a difference. There are even scholarships out there that almost nobody signs up for, which is literally free money. To work on this, I plan on looking in to different websites that my friends and mentors have told me about, and applying for a few scholarships. Even though I have a lot of work on my plate, I know I can find the time to write a simple page essay every once and a while instead of watching a show or sleeping in.

   Additionally, I think that Dr. Fountains information on ICE TEE could be applicable to more than just his program. The innovation aspect is important to remember because I should always be looking out for possible ways to innovate, not just when I’m focused on finding them. The creativity aspect is important because even outside of innovation it is important to look at life with creativity and see things where others don’t. Finally, the entrepreneur aspect is also very important because there are so many chances in life to make a successful living and provide through your family if you take calculated risks. 

Questions:

1.     Why do you think so many people think scholarships are so hard to get, or have an aversion to applying for them at all?

2.     What letter of your acronym ICE, if you had to pick only one, do you think contributes the most to being a successful entrepreneur?

3.     What type of advice would you give to students who don’t necessarily trust the somewhat risky life style of trying to become and entrepreneur instead of pursuing a normal job?

[the-innovation-station]

Dean Martin - Thursday, February 2nd, 2017

Connect:

   Dean Martin’s presentation this week connected excellently to our class discussion, from a few weeks ago, on the habits of mind. Mr. Martin demonstrated that through flexibility and team work you can become a great innovator and leader. These habits of mind pair together perfectly to work harmoniously with others and achieve success that wouldn’t be possible otherwise.

   The first habit of mind Dean Martin exemplified, flexibility, was tested many times throughout his life. For example, when Mr. Martin was working for a grocery store he mentioned the time he showed compassion for a man and his wife when they needed food. Although he wasn’t the boss, and didn’t have the authority to make such a decision, he showed flexibility in his actions and took charge for something he knew was right. Furthermore, during his years at college, Mr. Martin changed his direction on multiple occasions, and expressed it was okay to take a leap and try something new. That’s what being flexible is all about.  Clearly, whether it was during his time working at a grocery store or following the advice of his mentors, flexibility was a large catalyst for Dean Martin’s success throughout his life time.    The second habit of mind that can be attributed to Dean Martin’s success, team work, was also mentioned as a powerful tool for innovators. Mr. Marin was approached several times in his life to work along side professors and researchers in either academia or innovation, and never once passed up the opportunity. He argued that working together, and having a team that gets along, is an essential aspect of getting innovation completed. This makes a lot of sense to me because although working alone is probably easier sometimes, there are so many things that a different mind could bring to the table. Reaching goals and setting new ones would be much easier if you were motivated by your partners to continue, and come up with solutions that might be outside of your own knowledge base.  

   Additionally, throughout his talk he mentioned various anecdotes of his childhood leading up to college. I’ve noticed that both of our other guess speakers mentioned their childhood as well, and it clearly is a large part of what you become in the future. Although their anecdotes didn’t always seem too powerful, for example Mr. Martin’s watermelon story, they all provide some building block that catalyzes a successful outlook on innovation and success.

Apply:

   One topic Dean Martin spoke extensively on was his drive to continue learning and his constant desire to further himself in his career. Although I haven’t gotten to the point in my life where I even have a career, I know that I don’t want to stay at the same level within it. Challenging myself has always been something I strive to do, and just like Dean Martin I plan to take every possible opportunity by the horns and further myself. Additionally, Mr. Martin made it its clear the opportunity doesn’t usually just fall into your lap, you have to seek It out yourself and make decisions that seem scary or difficult (like moving your entire family to another state in search of something different).

   I have decided to make a plan of action for seeking out opportunities to farther myself in my academic and personal life. I really need to start introducing myself to more people, and actively seeking out volunteering/shadowing opportunities. My plan is as follows:

1 - Start going more frequently to my volunteer position at Moffitt, to hopefully get some recognition for when I apply to shadow.  

2 - Introduce myself to some of the different doctors/surgeons who frequently pass my post at the endoscopy unit. 

3 - Stat submitting more applications for shadowing even though its extremely difficult to get a position.

4 - Find another hospital to apply for shadowing at, to further my chances. 

5 - Network with friends, professors, and nurses on possible leads for shadowing.

   If I follow this plan, it is likely I will at least significantly improve my chances to get a shadowing position. 

   Additionally, Dean Martin talked briefly on how you can’t get rid of your data in research even if it doesn’t line up with what you were expecting. Taking this information literally, he is clearly talking about integrity as a researcher, but if you compare it to life there are so many other possibilities. I like to see this as a metaphor for life and its hardships -- how life can throw you a curve ball and you just have to suck it up and keep fighting through with persistence. For example, in my own life I didn’t get my first pick of college, but I’ve made the best of my time here and in a lot of ways I’m happy that I ended up here.

Questions:

1.     What was the highlight of your career, and how hard did you work to reach that position?

2.     Do you think your experiences in childhood have had a really large effect on your choices throughout life? If so, do you still look back on those lessons when you make decisions now?

3.     What type of qualities do you look for in a member of your team?

[the-innovation-station]

Richard Berman – Thursday, January 26, 2017

Connect:

   During his presentation this week, Richard Berman indicated that risk taking is a key component of being an innovative leader, and as it was talked about as one of the five skills that innovative leaders have I see it only fit to spend some time discussing that. Mr. Berman talked a lot about how you should set goals higher than you can achieve, and not be afraid when you come up short. He mentioned that he had goals during his multiple careers throughout his life time, and honestly didn’t achieve any of them in their entirety. Instead, he looks at these things as small victories that lead to his overall success.

  Mr. Berman also talked extensively on how he thought leaders couldn’t lead from the back of a group. I tend to agree with this statement, and I’ve had a lot of trouble thinking of someone anyone recognizable that was in the backseat making important changes.

  Last, but not least, Mr. Berman was very adamant that innovative leaders will have to make sacrifices in their lifetime in order to achieve greatness. He talked on the differences between that last few generations, and how earlier generations put aside family for their careers while new generations are starting to put family first. Yet he insisted that even in our generations there will be a few that shy away from the pack, and make their career and passions their life. These are the people we will know as innovative leaders, like future a Elon Musk who will call their employees in the early hours of the morning to make sure their projects are at full speed.

Apply:

   Though there were a lot of things that Mr. Berman spoke about during his presentation, the topic I could most relate to was the importance of motivation. It’s clear that motivation is one of the fundamental keys to success, but it’s not always easy to find motivation or to motivate someone else. Mr. Berman spoke about how lighting a fire underneath someone by telling them that they won’t succeed, is often a very useful approach to motivation. Although it seems counter intuitive, I have felt this way a lot during my life. I’ve always tried my best to prove other people wrong about how much I could achieve.

Questions:

1. Where is the line between setting your goals too high and not high enough?

2. What was the biggest risk you took in your career and how did it end up turning out?

3. As someone who has gone through many different careers so many times in their life, what do you see as the next step?

Addressing Comments/Reviews:

I see now that I didn’t exactly apply Mr. Berman’s presentation to my own life, and only mentioned that I agreed and viewed the aspect of motivation in the same light. To correct this, I would also like to talk about Mr. Berman’s proposal on leading from the front of the pack. I’ve never been very good at being a leader because I’ve always been very shy to put myself out there, and to speak up even when I have something important to say. I usually just try to guide other people in the right direction, and let them take the lead. However, Mr. Berman’s lecture has reminded me that its important to except failure and not be afraid of it, and thus I will try to work harder in my life to lead even if I’m nervous.

[the-innovation-station]

#Yogi Bear

[the-innovation-station]

Molekule Air Filter 

https://www.molekule.com

[the-innovation-station]

Yogi Goswami – Thursday, January 19, 2017

Connect:

   This week in class we talked a lot about the 16 Habits of Mind, which Mr. Goswami displays exceptionally well. Throughout his presentation, Mr. Goswami demonstrated these habits through anecdotes of his past, and thoughts about the future. I’d like to take the time to discuss just a few of the Habits of Mind he embodies.

   Mr. Goswami showed his persistence as an inventor when he battled on after losing the royalty for his product. Instead of looking back at that moment with sadness, he talked about it from a learning perspective. The takeaway of knowledge he gained was much more important that the money he lost, and he successfully bounced back with his next innovation.

   Additionally, Mr. Goswami showed his flexibility on countless occasions. Even though he was not studying allergy management or air purification at the time, Mr. Goswami pushed through an unknown field and became an expert in something he was passionate about.

   Finally, Mr. Goswami was excellent in his demonstration of questioning and posing problems. He expressed several times his desire to question the current products on the market and see if there was anything they were lacking, or anything that he could improve upon. He frequently used the anecdote of his son’s allergies, and how he was looking for something he couldn’t find – a filter that would actually help his son. When he couldn’t find it, he just asked himself why he wasn’t making his own.

Apply:

   I think there are a lot of things that Mr. Goswami taught me that I could use in the future, but there’s one lesson in particular that had me thinking long after I left the classroom. His anecdote about losing royalties on his invention because of a simple line in the contract, made me realize how easy it is to lose something your passionate about if you aren’t careful. I know I’ve seen it all the time on TV shows (contracts being clever), but to hear it from someone in real life was somehow a lot more powerful. If I ever find myself in a similar situation, I will definitely be lawyering up before I sign anything that’s truly important to me.

Questions:

1. Do you think it’s more beneficial to keep a company within a family (like Molekule), or to spread it amongst trusted employees to avoid conflicts?

2. What is the largest implementation you could see in the foreseeable future for your PCA system?

3. Did you ever lose confidence in your ability to further improve your invention? If so, how did you regain your confidence?

Addressing Comments/Reviews:

The comments/reviews that I received were all positive in nature, and did not give me any criticism to build upon. One thing I noticed that i did wrong after writing this blog post is that I did not challenge any of Mr. Goswami’s opinions from a different stance. Since I agreed with his opinions and liked him as an innovator, I did not see any different perspectives. Looking back upon this, I think that Mr. Goswami might be incorrect when he talks about how innovation starts when you are looking for something that you can’t find. I think there are a lot of ways innovation can happen. It could just be stumbling across something new when you’re not even looking for it.